Create, store, and access quick notes and code snippets across IDEs. MyScratchPad gives you lightweight, persistent scratch files organized into global and workspace scopes — fast to create, easy to manage, and designed for everyday developer flow.
Why you'll love it:
- Instant scratch file creation (single-step)
- Cross-editor access — use the same files in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf (where supported)
- Clean webview UI for browsing, creating, and managing scratch files
- Lightweight and unobtrusive — built for speed, not bloat
- Global + Workspace scopes: Keep notes that travel with you or stay with a project.
- Single-step creation: Enter a filename and go — files open immediately with clipboard content as a starting point.
- Multiple create paths: Create from selection, from existing files, or via the
+button. - Quick search: Filter and find scratch files instantly using the built-in search box in the webview.
- Flexible file types: Works with any extension; provides smart templates and icons for common types.
- Speed: Stop fighting with temporary files — create and access them in seconds.
- Convenience: Clipboard-aware creation and contextual commands make it feel native.
- Simplicity: Focused features that solve a single problem well — temporary notes and snippets.
- Global and workspace-scoped scratch files
- One-step creation with extension-aware templates
- Clipboard-aware initial content for new files
- Create from selection or from an existing file via context menus
- Rename, delete, and refresh with a simple, consistent UI
- Rich webview interface for browsing and quick actions
- Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace and reload.
- Open the Explorer sidebar (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+E) and locate the MyScratchPad view.
- Use the top
+button to create a new file — include an extension (e.g.,note.md). - Right-click a text selection and choose to create a scratch from selection, or right-click a file to create a scratch from that file.
- Rename, delete, and refresh through the context menu or UI buttons.
Pro tips:
- To create from clipboard quickly, hit
+and paste a filename — clipboard contents will be used as the file body. - Use workspace scratchpads for project-specific experiments and global scratchpads for cross-project snippets.
MyScratchPad: Create New Scratch File— Create a global scratch fileMyScratchPad: Create New Workspace Scratch File— Create a workspace scratch fileMyScratchPad: Create Scratch File from Selection— Create file from selected textMyScratchPad: Create Scratch File from File— Create from an existing file in ExplorerMyScratchPad: Clean Up Old Files— (advanced) remove legacy storage files if presentMyScratchPad: Migrate Old Scratch Files to Unified Storage— (advanced) migrate legacy storage files to the unified storage (For users who have used the extension before the migration)
MyScratchPad treats files almost universally — any extension is supported. Common examples include:
- Programming languages:
.js,.ts,.py,.go,.java,.rb,.cpp,.csetc. - Web:
.html,.css,.jsx,.tsx,.vue - Data & config:
.json,.yaml,.env,.toml - Docs and plain text:
.md,.txt
Files open with sensible templates for common extensions while allowing full flexibility for any custom extension.
- If new files fail to create, confirm the extension has filesystem access for your environment.
- If files disappear from the UI, hit Refresh in the view or restart VS Code. The files are plain files on disk and can be opened from the file system.
- Report bugs or request features at:
https://github.com/IDAN-DEVS/myscratchpad-vscode-extension/issues
- Core services live in
src/services/and UI providers insrc/views/. - Providers accept storage paths computed at activation time (
extension.ts) so concerns are separated.
Build & dev:
npm install
npm run watch # dev
npm run compile # buildContributions are welcome. Please open issues and PRs on GitHub and follow project conventions.